Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

On the 5th of November 1605, Guy Fawkes’s plan to ignite explosives under the House of Lords and assassinate King James I was discovered, and Fawkes subsequently committed suicide to escape his impending sentence of being hung, drawn, and quartered. Every 5th of November since, the occasion has been commemorated in England and several other Commonwealth countries with bonfires and fireworks.

Fawkes and his twelve co-conspirators were protesting the Protestant power and anti-Catholicism of the time. The first bonfires, originally meant to celebrate the safety and rule of the king, burnt effigies of the pope. Nowadays, most effigies are of Guy Fawkes, but occasionally take the shape of particularly unpopular politicians.

While celebrations for Guy Fawkes Day get into gear this weekend, his legacy is also being remembered in a more somber way by participants in the global Occupy Movement. From New York City to London to Hong Kong, Guy Fawkes masks popularised by the film V for Vendetta have become a staple at the occupations. In the film and graphic novel upon which the film is based, a revolutionary uses Guy Fawkes as an inspiration in his attempt to take down a totalitarian government, wearing a mask of his idol as he carries out justice.

Guy Fawkes masks at Occupy Auckland

The masks were further popularised in 2008 when the protesting activist hacker group Anonymous wore them to protect their identity. The masks have since come to symbolise anti-government civil dissent and, at times, disobedience. As international occupations protest the corruption of governments and big corporations, Guy Fawkes and the masks from V for Vendetta are a new cry for solidarity and action.

Though they wear slight smiles, these masks demonstrate the seriousness of the occupiers. As Guy Fawkes was passionately sincere in his reasons for attempting to destroy the Houses of Parliament, so are the occupiers about stopping corporate greed and government incompetency. The masks send a clear message that though the occupations are peaceful, they are not approaching the situation lightly. The masks are a call to action.

So as you get ready for the celebrations this weekend, or if you’re in America, get ready for a normal November Saturday, consider the power and importance of taking a stand for what you believe in, or for what you are against. Thankfully, our protests need not be violent to impactful. But as a member of society you have both a duty and a right to have a say in the way your country is run. Will you speak up?